In the Gospel from yesterday’s Mass (Monday of the 26th Week) there was a good example of how completely upside down and inside out our thinking is from God’s. The Gospel opens with the disciples engaged in a dispute about which of them is the greatest. Of course the description shows how cartoonishly foolish we can be as human beings. Too often we resent others being recognized or praised; too often we inordinately seek recognition, power, prestige and popularity. But the Lord takes all of our most basic instincts on greatness and turns them on their head. If we have eyes to see and ears to hear, what the Lord says is actually quite stunning.
Before looking at the text, think of what we consider to be the ingredients of greatness: power, strength, leadership ability, unique or special skills, wealth, beauty, good genes, popularity, charisma, poise, rhetorical skill. Add your own qualities, but greatness from a worldly perspective is to be able to control, through unique gifts and power.
Now consider Jesus’ words:
Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child
and placed it by his side and said to them,
“Whoever receives this child in my name receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
For the one who is least among all of you
is the one who is the greatest.” (Lk 9:47-49)
Be careful not to be too sentimental here. It may be that we could interpret the Lord to mean that little children are the greatest because they are deserving of our care, and after all aren’t they innocent and cute, too. But the Lord is being far more radical here than sentimentality alone may appreciate. For a little child is almost none of the things on our list of qualities that make one great. A child may possess many qualities in seminal form, but as a little child, the child is not powerful, rich, famous, physically strong, having poise and rhetorical skill, and gifts for leadership. All of our criteria are lacking, yet the Lord says, this child is the greatest.
And just to make sure we don’t miss the wider point, which is not about children per se, the Lord adds, “The least among you is the greatest.” In other words, the Lord sets aside all of the traits we use to assign greatness. Indeed, our standards are laughable to God, and our running about to attain greatness amounts to climbing a ladder of success that is leaning against the wrong wall.
Elsewhere the Lord adds another standard of greatness:
“You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42-45)
Imagine the following scenario. We are in a large gathering at a local park, and there are folks of all social strata and condition present. Perhaps drinks and hors d’oeuvres are being served by waiters and waitresses. In one particular area are gathered Hollywood stars, big wig political leaders, and other cultural glitterati. As most of us scan the crowd our eye is drawn immediately to the famous and we lift up our cell phone cameras and try to get pictures.
But if God were to walk into this crowd, where would his eye be drawn? Where would God “run with his cell phone” and start snapping pictures? Most likely his eye would be drawn to those serving the hors d’oeuvres. Perhaps too his eye would be drawn to the edge of the park where some of the poor are gathered and wondering what all the excitement is about. Some of them are begging. Yet again, there are some in the crowd who have come from the local group home. They are mentally handicapped, many of them wheelchair bound, others not able to talk but making wild gestures and groans. God’s eye is drawn there too. “But God, but God! Look at all those famous people over there! (we say), pointing to the glitterati. And God, looking puzzled, says, “Where? Who are they??”
Perhaps an unlikely scenario to you? But does not scripture say that the Lord is close to the broken-hearted, that he looks with special regard on the needy, the lowly, the poor and afflicted? Does he not hear the cry of the poor?(cf Ps. 34)
Who really catch God’s eye and have his ear? You may have your own idea. But remember, the Lord says, “the least among you is the greatest.” He also says that many who are last shall be first in the Kingdom (Matt 20:16). Indeed, those who serve are greater than those who are served. We have it all backwards in this world.
Personal story: Many years ago (1991), my sister Mary Anne died at age 30. She was mentally ill all her life: 17 different mental hospitals and at least that many group homes. Her affliction was serious. She was a textbook schizophrenic. She heard voices, and her mental condition quite tormented her. She died in fire likely set by her, for that too was a common trait of her mental illness, along with numerous other attempts on her own life. But in her lucid periods she was quite delightful and loved God and us.
As I consider her life, I have often thought of those words of the Lord, “The last shall be first.” For in this life, my sister was surely among the last. But the sheer joy and great reversal is that in the Kingdom of Heaven she is among the first. I sure that if I am blessed to see heaven, I will have to journey right up near the Throne in heaven to find her mansion, mine being more than a few blocks away from the “Gold Coast” of heaven. I only wish it had not taken her death for me to appreciate her dignity, for too easily I missed it while she lived here. Indeed, she was covered with glory on account of being the “least” and among the “last.” But in God’s eyes she was always among the greatest and the first. I am so sorry that I did not see this while she still lived here.
Yes, this Gospel is radical and puts to the lie almost every standard we have of greatness. I wonder, if we took this gospel to heart, if we would not run out and find the faithful poor, the needy, the handicapped, the chronically sick, and beg their prayers. If a gospel like this could drop 15 inches from our brain to our hearts, we would esteem those who serve us, we would look up to so many of the faithful poor, the needy, the handicapped, and see already their status as first and greatest in God’s kingdom. Rather than pity a Down Syndrome person, we would esteem him or her as a king or queen in waiting, set to rule high up near the throne in heaven.
My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my thoughts above your thoughts, my ways above your ways (Is 55:8-9). Indeed, our worldly thinking is 180 degrees out of phase, it is upside down and inside out. Pray for a new mind and heart.
Image credit: dornob.com
Here is a video I put together of my sister Mary Anne on What would have been her 50th birthday.
A beautiful tribute to a beautiful girl. I can picture her now in Our Lord’s presence smiling at Him as she is doing in these snapshots, happy and finally at peace in His arms.
Tears and hugs, Father. It’s always hard when we don’t appreciate the person when they were alive, or as you say, recongize their dignity. But you do now, and that is what counts. I imagine she is laughing, singing and dancing with Jesus.
May God bless you, Monsignor!
Regarding the non-VIPs at the edge of the park, in your scenario: I have found that in the modern USA, the only time one will hear someone bless another outside of Church is when giving charity to a beggar. In my experience, the beggars almost always 1) invoke the name of God 2) and invoke his blessing. The phrase is careful, 90% of the time, to contain both components: “God bless you.”
Of course within parish circles, I hear the priest do this. I also hear laymen do this, but usually only in the context of physical proximity to Church. John Doe, who may — may — say this on the steps following Mass will not say this on the street, when I run into him there, often, even as a courtesy after I have said it to him! The beggar, who is a stranger and sojourner, a child of the beatitudes, will, however, say it openly on the street, and will say it first.
The related issue that I have been noticing lately is that my fellow Catholics are using, in my opinion, too much pablum Oprah-speak: “blessings”, “peace”, etc. No mention of the one who bestows them. No subjunctive. Simply those single words, as if the speaker bestows the blessing, or the blessing is some sort of karmic commodity, a natural resource, simply existing in the ether of an agnostic or atheistic universe, that the speaker can push my way.
I say this with charity. I am sure there hearts are in the right place. Well, I know so.
How obscured our ‘reality’ can be from what is right and true. Having experienced the suffering of mental illness in my own family and in employees in the family business, thank you for illustrating God’s reality so beautifully. Your blog strengthens me to follow Jesus more deeply. Bless you.
She will be in my prayers everyday.
The first thought that came to mind was a Johnny Cash gospel song called “I Talk To Jesus Every Day” where comments about presidents and superstars are brushed aside by reference to One who is interested in everything we say; whose secretary never tells us that He’s been called away.
Thank you for reminding me of one of my favourites and thank God for that good old redneck gospel (among other forms as well)
Lovely photos of the family, Msgr. Your sister is at peace now, free from all pain. The fact that you keep her memory alive means she’s near you and loves you to bits as well. Heaven is not a far away place.
Rev. Msgr,
I live in Chennai, capital of southern state of TamilNadu in India, I regularly check your blog and gained many insights on church and personal life, the advantage of being catholic is where ever you live you’re always connected by our holy church, as our teaching remain same in every corner of earth! yesterday I was upset because of my performance rating announced by my organization, strangely I felt not satisfied with my merit increment awarded by supervisor , in fact I didn’t sleep well, last night. I was praying for god guidance to overcome my sadness even though I realize that it is unjust, this morning after reading your message that “Too often we resent others being recognized or praised” I realized that I have been comparing myself others who got better rating than me because of my (false) assumption that those who got better rating are not good at their job. Now I understand the source of my madness, restlessness and I would like to thank you for guiding people like me to understand and accept good ingredients of God’s way of life. Indeed, God speak to us though our Church.
A little belated but this seemed to take time to pierce my pre conceived notions. In Luke 21:1-4 it seems that, not only is the concept of relativity presented but, that it is used to show one incident where the most became the least and the least became the most.